


The Elevator

by Starbuck0322



Series: Back to You [8]
Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: Angst, Episode: S03e07 Veronica, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbuck0322/pseuds/Starbuck0322
Summary: "You make me so mad sometimes.""I know. Anything else?"A seething Gillian stuck in an elevator with Cal.Set during Season 3, episode 7, "Veronica".
Relationships: Gillian Foster/Cal Lightman
Series: Back to You [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724767
Kudos: 87





	The Elevator

_"You make me so mad sometimes."_

_"I know. Anything else?"_

And he's doing it again. Eyes searching her, making her forget her anger. Making her alter her positioning.

She looks away. Takes a step from his comfort.

_"So I made a couple of calls and Mrs. Baird is alive and well and living in Boston and Mr. Erkhardt died in a helicopter crash in 1999."_

_"So she's mixing up people from the present with people from the past."_

She can feel his eyes on her again; looking her up and down, noticing that she has left her coat open. Bearing witness to what she wants him to see.

_"Including Charlie?"_

* * *

There was a bump and a screech as the elevator came to a halt. The box shook, clutching to its emergency cables, causing its passengers to rock within.

Gillian Foster lost her balance and fell backward into open arms. Cal clung to her, helping her gain her balance.

"You all right?" Cal asked looking down at her lips. Her scent clung to him, drowned his senses. He blinked, attempting to regain his focus.

Gillian drew a shaking hand up to her hair and flicked a strand of light-brown hair from her face. "Yes. Fine." She pulled herself from his arms, and took two long strides across the elevator floor to the lit panel.

She pressed the Emergency Call button once and waited, looking up to the lighted numbers above the door. There was no answer.

_The Seventh floor. They were stuck._

She pressed the Emergency Call button again. Again, she heard no answer.

"Nice." She muttered to herself and pressed the button again. A fourth time. A fifth time.

"We're stuck," she said, tension rising in her tone.

"Yes, thanks," Cal said crossing the floor to meet her. He placed a hand to her lower back. "I've figured that one out."

"The button's not working," Gillian said, pressing the button again and again.

"I've figured that out too."

Gillian stood up straight, her breathing rapid. "Don't just stand there, Cal. Do something."

Cal smirked and watched as her eyes closed, as she leaned away from him to support herself against a nearby wall.

"You all right, love?"

"Peachy." Her answer short, curt.

"Because you're turning pale." Cal took a step toward her. "Or green. I can't quite tell the difference in this terrible lighting."

Gillian opened her eyes to look at him and Cal saw the tears which were brimming in her eyes, the worry that flushed her brow.

"I'm fine." She closed her eyes again and fought to take a breath.

Cal reached out and took her by the hand, felt her palm thick with sweat. "I think you should sit down."

Gillian pulled her hand from his and took a step away from the wall. "I told you, I'm-"

He knees buckled beneath her as her arms reached out for him. Quickly, his arms shot out to take her in his arms again. He brought them instantly, gently to the floor.

Cal pulled back as they came to sit together, drew her hair away from her face.

"You still with me?"

"Yeah," she returned weakly and released another heavy breath.

"Not a big fan of the closed-in spaces are we, Dr. Foster?"

Gillian smiled shyly. "Oh you're a sharp one, Sherlock."

Cal took up residence beside her, forced his arm around her drawing her to rest against him.

"We should start moving soon. There's probably just some malfunctioning with the phones, right? But this box looks like it's been built within the last 30 years, so it would have been mandatory to have maintenance on the cables at least once or twice."

"Cal?"

"Yeah."

Gillian turned to him slowly and swallowed, fighting against the lump which formed in her throat. "Could we talk about something else?"

Cal smiled and looked down at her slowly. "Like how wonderful you look right now?"

She smiled, cheekbones rising. "That'll do."

"You look lovely, Foster. Clean up nice, as they say." He looked her up and down again, nodding casually. "The shoes -- nice touch."

Gillian shifted her body and crossed her legs at the ankles in front of her. "You think?"

"I know."

Gillian chuckled and threw her head back, resting against the wall. She closed her eyes.

Cal smiled and watched as her breathing calmed, watched each soft rise and fall of her chest.

"There is just one thing though," Cal said, interrupting their silence.

Gillian opened her eyes lazily. "What's that?"

Cal reached forward and gently removed her coat from her right shoulder. His fingertips lightly brushed her skin and Gillian had to suppress the small noise from forming in her throat. She fought against the instant reaction to close her eyes drunkenly.

Cal took her dress strap from her arm and moved it back onto her shoulder, aligning it perfectly with her bra strap.

"Oh," Gillian squeaked. She cleared her throat, and ignored the smirk that formed on his face. "Thank you."

Cal leaned back to look at her, rested his hands on her upper thigh. "No problem."

"What are friends for, and all that?" Gillian said, the hint of mockery in her tone.

"You're well put together, Gill. Wouldn't want it out of place."

"I-" She began but was distracted, lost in his fingertips which absentmindedly traced across the hem of her dress. He was gentle, his hands warm, and she was losing her battle to keep her breathing calm. Taken with him, her eyes were threatening to close once more.

His hands ran up her sides slowly and he traveled with them to rest beside her once more, running along the seam of her dress. Her breath heavy again. He looked up to watch as her cheeks flush, her lips as they turned a deeper red.

"That's better," he said.

Gillian cocked her head slightly and swallowed. "What's better?"

"And here I was thinking that I might have to perform CPR on you?" Her dark blues were radiant as she looked at him. "Unless of course you want me to."

There was a bump and a screech as the emergency brake released itself.

Cal and Gillian looked up to watch as the numbered lights flickered on and off, one by one, as they made their steady descent down to the ground floor.


End file.
